North American Electric Utilities Still Seeking Renewable Energy

Written by John Egan for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The rush to renewables remains alive and well: This spring, North American electric utilities have issued requests for proposals (RFPs) for thousands of megawatts of renewable electric generation and energy storage, typically to fulfill decarbonizing integrated resource plans (IRPs) filed with their state utility regulators.

On April 20, the government of Quebec and provincial utility?Hydro-Québec?(Montreal, Quebec) issued two RFPs for renewable energy totaling 2,300 megawatts (MW), the largest solicitation in the utility's history. This RFP follows the issuance of two RFPs seeking up to 780 MW of renewable energy, as well as the recent selection of three wind projects, totaling 1,200 MW, to be jointly developed by?Boralex Incorporated?(Kingsey Falls, Québec) and?énergir?(Montreal), a subsidiary of Noverco Incorporated (Montreal) and Hydro-Québec.

Puerto Rico's utility regulator, the Puerto Rican Energy Bureau, acting on behalf of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) in late April, issued a draft RFP for at least 500 MW of renewable generation capacity and 250 MW of energy storage for the U.S. territory.

In the U.S.,?Tucson Electric Power?(TEP) (Tucson, Arizona), a unit of?Fortis Incorporated?(NYSE:FTS) (St. Johns, Newfoundland), on April 19 issued an all-source RFP for up to 250 MW of renewable and energy-efficient resources. This could include new wind and solar generating systems, as well as customer programs such as demand-response programs that reduce usage during periods of high energy demand.

The Tucson utility said it also was seeking bids on up to 300 MW of "firm capacity" resources that can be called on at any time, including energy storage systems designed to provide at least four hours of continuous energy every day during the summer for TEP to dispatch as needed. This category of resources also could include demand-response programs that provide incentives to customers who curtail energy usage at specific times of the day and year when usage is typically highest.

Also in April,?Pacific Gas and Electric Company?(PG&E) (San Francisco, California), a unit of?PG&E Corporation?(NYSE:PCG) (San Francisco) released an all-source RFP seeking up to 176 MW of community solar generation to support its opt-in Solar Choice program, a voluntary program where customers pay extra to receive cleaner electricity.

Duke Energy Corporation?(NYSE:DUK) (Charlotte, North Carolina), which has been aggressively greening its electricity supply in recent years, in late March said it planned to issue a system-wide RFP for at least 700 MW of solar generation to be sited in North Carolina and South Carolina.

In its annual ESG (environmental, social and governance) report, released April 26, Duke said its renewable energy capacity rose 20% in 2021, or about 1,800 MW. Its CO2 emissions in 2021 fell 44% compared to 2005. The utility holding company, whose operating units provide electricity to about 8.2 million customers in six states, wants to own, operate or contract for 16,000 MW of renewable energy by 2025.

For more information on Duke's renewable plans, see April 27, 2022, article -?Duke Energy Heads to Texas, Florida for Renewable Buildouts.

Another utility issuing an RFP for renewable generation and energy storage this spring is?NV Energy?(Las Vegas, Nevada), a unit of?Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated?(NYSE:BRK.A) (Omaha, Nebraska). On April 12, the utility issued an RFP for solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, wind, biomass and biogas technology projects that are at least 20 MW in size and are compliant with Nevada's existing renewable portfolio standards. The utility also said it will consider proposals that include energy storage systems integrated with renewable energy resources. All proposed projects must be commercially operational by December 31, 2025.

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